Callous Mugabe Starves His People

[sassa]

10:20 2002-07-30

CALLOUS MUGABE STARVES HIS PEOPLE

Millions are starving in Zimbabwe after two years of drought and a disastrous agrarian reform programme which has brought the country’s internal food supply programme to chaos proportions. Yet government officials deny food to anyone without a ZANU-PF membership card.

Food aid is being withheld from the areas which had voted for the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change in the March elections and people without membership cards of the ruling party, ZANU-PF, are not being allowed to buy supplies of grain at many centres. However, Robert Mugabe claims that such stories are fabrications made by the opposition and are without substance.

This is not the opinion of charity workers, many of whom refuse to give their names for fear of reprisals. One complained that government officials interfere with the food distribution process at every level. The war veterans are not allowing food to be distributed in predominantly MDC areas.

This policy is causing deaths. In the hospital at Binga, around thirty children have already died of malnutrition while teachers all over Zimbabwe are complaining that the children are hungry and cannot concentrate.

Many families are reported to be eating only one meal a day and in rural areas, large numbers are eating roots and leaves. Cases of death from eating poisonous roots are increasing. Robert Gabriel Mugabe is leading his people towards a catastrophe.

Timothy BANCROFT-HINCHEY

PRAVDA.Ru